'Zombie' cells blur the line between living and non-living things.

The article focuses on a breakthrough in synthetic biology where researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) created living synthetic bacterial cells by transplanting a complete synthetic genome into chemically inactivated (dead) cells of the bacterium Mycoplasma capricolum. This process, called whole-genome transplantation, effectively "resurrected" the cells, which then grew and divided carrying the synthetic genome of Mycoplasma mycoides. The technique overcomes previous challenges in confirming synthetic genome control due to horizontal gene transfer and may accelerate the engineering of microbes for applications like drug production and environmental remediation. While currently demonstrated only in Mycoplasma, the researchers aim to extend the method to more complex organisms, acknowledging potential biosafety considerations but emphasizing existing laboratory safeguards. [Extracted from the article]